The Washington Democrat was quite opinionated at an Appropriations panel meeting Friday about how much one should shell out for such a service.

Dicks was expressing support for an amendment that would block the Department of Veterans Affairs from sponsoring NASCAR cars. The proposal was in response to an event last September where the VA spent nearly half a million dollars on a promotion for one race.

Dicks thought the money would be better spent on an informative mailer.

“For $450,000 you could ... actually enhance something,” he said. “But $450,000 is a very expensive one-night stand.”

Later, Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) mused aloud about his ranking member’s familiarity with such things: “Makes you wonder what it was compared to?”